Carbon nanotubes, these small objects with exceptional electrical conductivity, mechanical strength and lightness, hold great promise for many industrial applications. But until now, the integration of these nanotubes into other materials has modified their structure, and therefore greatly reduced their properties.
Scientists at the University of Kiel and the University of Trento have developed a process to integrate carbon nanotubes into a highly porous material (a ceramic composed of zinc oxide) without changing its structure. The nanotube layer formed has significantly increased the stability of the ceramic, supporting up to 100,000 times its weight.
The researchers then dissolved the ceramic structure, to recover only a 3D network of nanotubes. By filling this 3D structure with polymers, they were able to mechanically connect the latter to carbon nanotubes, without modifying their structure or properties.
Thanks to its simplicity, scientists believe that this process could be applied to other structures made of nanomaterials, and thus further expand the scope of conceivable applications.
